“I keep winning LG championships, the first step of a dynasty…but it won’t be easy next year.”
The guardian of the Samsung dynasty, who single-handedly won five consecutive KBO titles (2005 2006 2011 2012 2013).
But it’s been a decade since he last won a title. While Oh Seung-hwan traveled to Japan and then the United States, Samsung didn’t win a championship except for the year after he left (2014).
There is no satisfaction in the mind of a professional athlete. There is only a burning competitive spirit.
Oh is still a free agent, not a member of the Samsung Lions.
He is 41 years old, and his status as a free agent is awkward. The team prioritized signing ‘closer’ Kim Jae-yoon for four years and 5.8 billion won before Oh Seung-hwan.
It had been a long time since he appeared at an award ceremony. At the Korean Baseball Organization’s ‘Year of the Year’ award ceremony, Oh Seung-hwan said, “I came to receive the ‘Record of the Year (400 saves)’ award today, but I hope many of our players will come to next year’s ceremony. I hope we win a lot, and I hope the players’ individual performances are good,” he said bitterly.
Even though he is a free agent, he has no intention of transferring.
“I’m still working out at Lapak after the season,” Oh laughed in response to a cautious question.
He continued, “Coach (Lee Jong-yeol) has been very busy, and we are talking well. Even today, I came early and talked to him before the event. To be a free agent at my age… I wouldn’t be a baseball player if it weren’t for Samsung,” he added.
In addition to the 400 saves, it was a monumental year for Oh. It was his first complete game since his debut in 2005. He pitched five innings of three-run ball before being sent back to the bullpen. In all, 먹튀검증토토사이트 he appeared in 58 games and pitched 62⅔ innings this season, posting a 4-5 record, 30 saves, and a 3.45 ERA.
But now, it’s likely that the Samsung closer will be Kim Jae-yoon. “I feel like every year we make false promises to Samsung fans (about winning and doing well),” Oh said, emphasizing that his goal for next year is to help the team win at least one more game. As for Kim Jae-yoon, “I personally contacted him when I was in the United States. He’s a really good player,” he reiterated.
“They said our biggest problem was the bullpen. Now that we have a good pitcher in Kim Jae-yoon, it will be a big help. I don’t care what position I go to. I’m not thinking about that. There’s no reason to be stubborn about a position. It’s a stupid idea.”
LG, which won its first title in 29 years
Swept five categories on the night: Front of the Year (Cha Myung-seok and others), Manager (Yeom Kyung-yup), Coach (Lee Ho-joon), Defense (Park Hae-min), and Achievement (Shin Min-jae). Together, they expressed their pride, saying, “This will be the first step of a dynasty. In his acceptance speech, Park Hae-min said, “If we want to win again next year, we need our players (Im Chan-gyu, Ham Deok-ju, Kim Min-sung) who were released as free agents. Please hold on to them.” Cha echoed the sentiment, saying, “The goal is to catch our players.”
Hanwha, which finished in ninth place, also laughed out loud as it produced Player of the Year (Noh Si-hwan) and Rookie of the Year (Moon Dong-joo). Samsung, on the other hand, had only one player at the ceremony, Oh Seung-hwan.
Oh Seung-hwan said, “I usually don’t think about it while watching other teams win, but this LG win made me feel very happy. After the award ceremony today, they kept talking about ‘the first step of a dynasty.’ It won’t be easy,” he said.
“I’ve been asked about my age since a few years ago. I’ve always said I’m confident, but I think it’s starting to show in my results, but there’s still a part of me that’s greedy. I want the team to do well, and finally, I want to have a season where Samsung wins and I don’t have to hear about my age.”